Harry Potter and the Faith of the Knight
by TheHornedOwl
Summary: Harry finds the bliss of rebuilding his life after the death of Voldemort abruptly torn apart by a contract of marriage. This unusual contract sets Harry on a journey to learn just how tough love can be. Don't be fooled, however, this story is not fluffy. Was the diadem really a Horcrux? Harry has to choose between who lives and dies in the end.


**A/N**

 **I don't intend on doing these often. I can't even promise the conclusion of the story. The idea hit me like a ton of bricks and I had to write the first chapter quick. This is purely an unedited one-shot at a Harry Daphne betrothal, the likes of which I have not seen in FF. I will try to avoid the Ice Queen tropes that are so common but her demeanor will be icy. I will address why. I have poured a lot of thought into the ending of the canon stories and just can't come to grips with how it ended so this will also be an attempt to put my own spin on that.**

 **Finally, this is post-DH and AU. Dapne's father will not exist nor will Astoria. I have the general idea of the story but as I write, things tend to veer slightly off the planned path so I can't guarantee which other characters will or will not make an appearance.**

 **One more thing. I see these often enough and wonder if they are really necessary. This will be my only disclaimer that as I am writing on a website called "FAN FICTION" these characters and world are clearly not mine, but that of JK Rowling.**

Chapter 1 - False Hope

The shade of the large willow tree protected them from the midday sun that poured waves of heat down. Cool water dripping of their bodies from the recent dip in the pond that sat on the edge of the property, the only respite from Summer's heat. They kissed gently, slowly, savoring the moment that they had to themselves. He never wanted to be a hero, he never wanted the glory, riches, or ladies that came with it. He was thankful that Ginny was not like any of those other women who offered their bodies or even, much to his disgust, betrothal contracts.

Lost in the moment, the sun arced across the sky until dusk startled him from his musings. Ginny's head rested upon his chest as they watched the setting sun. Her beautiful auburn hair trailed off the side of his chest to his hands where he found his hand massaging the back of her neck.

"It's so beautiful," she murmured in nothing more than a whisper to herself. Harry, however, heard it clearly.

"Yes, you are very beautiful my dear," he responded in an overly amorous voice. She shot up and gave him a mock glare.

"Mr. Potter! Knight's in shining armour are meant to be far more eloquent than that!" Then with a smirk she went running off, Harry chasing her but unable to catch up as his laughing was making it hard to breath. Every day had been like this since the funerals had ended, just him and his wonderful girlfriend able to make up for lost time. They ran over the hills, through the orchard, across the quidditch pitch until Harry finally caught her and tackled her to the ground in a patch of tall grass.

Harry landed on top and stared down into her deep brown eyes, lost once again in the carefree beauty of _his_ Ginny. Perhaps it was their way of coping with the grief, or maybe it was their way of forcefully jump-starting a new life. Harry knew this was it, he had finally achieved the life he had dreamed of. He was staring into the face of the woman he…

"Ginny, I think I'm falling in lo-," he was cut off by her finger gently pressing into his lips. She wrapped her hand around his neck and pulled him closer and gently kissed him. Confused on whether or not this was a confirmation or denial of his love-he ended up not caring as he found himself lost in another kiss.

"Ah, young love," Mrs. Weasley sighed as she watch the two teens share sweet kisses in the fading summer sun. "What did you come to see Harry for, Kingsley?" She topped off his glass of tea as she joined him at the table with her husband. Arthur was more relaxed but still much quieter after the death of Fred. He turned to Kingsley, whom he had sat with in companionable silence for most of the afternoon, waiting patiently for Harry.

Kingsley nodded and looked out of the window, "We have decided to offer Harry a position with the Auror's. He will need to start in within the next fortnight as that will give him ample time to achieve the required N.E.W.T. scores should he chose to accept. It will be hard work but we have a glaring need for Aurors after the war nearly wiped us out."

Mrs. Weasley frowned, she knew Harry was looking forward to retaking his seventh year with Ginny but this was an offer that she felt would be too tempting to turn down. The back door creaked and the two teens entered, both were glowing from the exposure to the sun, but also clearly in love. She sighed again, reminiscing in the romance of summer love.

Ginny glanced between Kingsley, sitting in her normal seat at the table, and her father who looked slightly more downcast than usual. "What's wrong, what's happened? She was immediately on alert, having not noticed the dreamy look on her mother's face. Harry, however, noticed and was grateful that the calming draughts seemed to finally be working. Thank Merlin they weren't addicting.

"There is nothing wrong, Ginny," Kingsley's low baritone voice did much to calm them. But having the Minister of Magic present at the Burrow was still quite disconcerting. "Sit down, please, I have an offer for Harry. That is all."

Ginny wanted to argue that Harry was not going to accept any offer, but then again-he was _her_ Harry. She wanted him to be happy and after all the time they had spent together she knew she was falling in love with him, she just wasn't ready to admit it-the last thing she wanted was for Harry to say it and feel rejected when she couldn't bring herself to reciprocate. Admitting her feelings to him was a huge step for her. One that, if she was not careful, could feel like she was moving on too fast.

Harry was reading the parchment, his expression was not giving anything away. It was a curious change, Ginny mused, one of many. Ever since the final fight Harry was more organized, more focused, and most importantly, had excellent control over his emotions. He was stoic through the funerals, her rock when she needed him, yet he was gentle and grieved with her when she needed it. They had shared laughs and tears, and through it all she felt like he understood her fully.

Finally, Harry was finished, and turned to Ginny. "I will need to go to Gringotts tomorrow. I know we had planned on heading south to see Bill for brunch but I need to take care of some business. Can we join him for dinner?" Noticing her confused expression, he just chuckled and explained further.

"Kingsley has just offered me entrance into the Aurors contingent on me passing the appropriate N.E.W.T.s by the first of September. But in order for them to officially process my acceptance papers, the holds on my account at Gringotts need to be taken care of." He sighed as his stomach began to knot, "I just hope they aren't too bad. Though I assume the Potter and Black vaults will more than cover the damages." He paused again, "Will Ron be offered the same?"

"Ron has left with Hermione for Australia. The timeline will be much too short for him to accomplish N.E.W.T.s when he returns from his travels. Also a certain Ms. Granger informed me of just how much reading you had accomplished and I must say, I am impressed." Harry just blushed and turned to Ginny. Her beaming smile gave him all he needed in that moment.

"Harry! This is such an honor! Would you like me to come with you?" He smiled, grateful of her support. She had been nothing short of brilliant over the past couple weeks. He was worried about several things during his time apart from her. He watched the map and saw her almost always with Neville. The locket certainly didn't help but he knew he had no right to ask her to wait for him when he may not have survived the war. He was also concerned that with Death Eaters running the school she would be harmed in such a way that her personality would drastically change.

Hell, he was worried that he had changed enough over the past year that she wouldn't even be able to recognize him. He smiled as he realized they had probably changed the right amount for each other and they both came out stronger for it. She may be a hair under five foot three inches, but Merlin help him, she was a spitfire. He never wanted some Susie-Home-Maker of a wife, and looking at Ginny he could see he had chosen well. _Merlin's saggy left nut,_ was he just thinking about marriage?!

Taking a deep breath and grimacing he felt her hands rest gently on his chest. "Harry," she broke in, "It is taking you quite a while to decide. I promise it is not that big of a decision that you need to think hard on it," she smirked at him as he blushed. She knew he had gotten lost in thought and she had a good feeling why. He may have been able to hide his emotions better but his eyes never lied-eyes only for her.

"Sorry Ginny, I will go alone. Why don't you negotiate with Bill what we will do tomorrow to make-up for canceling so late." She smiled and grabbed his hand, dragging her up to her bedroom for some more kisses. Thank Merlin for calming draughts, was his last thought as he caught Mrs. Weasley still dreamily staring out the window as Ginny yanked him upstairs.

"As you can see, Master Potter, the damages were significant. Are you sure that you are willing to assume full responsibility, absolving both Mr. Weasley and Ms. Granger from all penalties?" Harry nodded firmly in response. "Very well, your accounts will be billed for the following: One Ukrainian Ironbelly to replace the one you stole, one brand new thief's-downfall, a new cart and track structure, and various stone to rebuild what you so callously damaged," the goblin smirked at Harry.

Harry decided to take a risk, "You are aware I saved you from a…" he paused in thought, "creature that would have taken all of your freedoms and subjected you to torture and permanent servitude, right?" The elf just smiled and bared his pointed teeth, but started to chuckle.

"Mr. Potter, you are an interesting fellow that is certain. But are _you_ aware that you are haggling over that which will cost you only a fraction of a percent of the fortune that you possess?"

"A fraction?" he mocked panicked, "Good sir, Ironmace, you ought to be more thankful!" Harry signed the papers before the Goblin could stop laughing. "Is that all, then?" Harry rose to leave, knowing that efficiency with the Goblins was paramount. After all, time is money and Goblins manage all of the money in the Wizarding World.

The Goblin's demeanor immediately became more serious. "Sit down, Mr. Potter. I am afraid there is one last thing for us to cover." Harry immediately calmed his facial features and sat down slowly, curious yet worried. "It seems your parents acted in the best interest of the Potters many years ago, but have now been bitten by fate. You are betrothed." Harry sat shocked, not believing that the fragile world he had started to build was beginning to crumble.

"Betrothed? Why? How?..." after a pregnant pause, "Who?" His face lost all color, Merlin help him if it wasn't his Ginny.

"When the war broke out alliance were very important. Whether they were alliances to fight or alliances to protect, they became a focal point in the pureblood society. I can tell you that your Mother reluctantly agreed to the circumstances but your Father was most adamant. You see, the war was not going well for the side you parents fought for. The contract that they signed is both unique and ingenious in it's own way-"

"Ingenious?! My parents who, might I add, have been dead for close to seventeen years have signed me away with absolutely _no_ input on my behalf! This is not ingenious, this is barbaric!" Harry was fuming and stood to storm out.

"Sit _down_ Master Potter, you will need to hear this through for the penalty of breaking this contract is the loss of your magic and therefore your life," the goblin hissed angrily at Harry as he returned to his seat. Once assured that Harry was calming down he slid the contract across his mahogany desk. "Allow me to explain fully…"

"As I said the scales were beginning to tip in the Dark Lord's favor. This meant certain doom for those opposed to him and their children," he gestured to Harry, "but your parents came up with a cunning plan. As you well know, betrothal contracts usually bind two parties together from the signing of the contract however your contract is unique. It was only activated when you turned seventeen and only because, at that time, your magic determined you to be single."

"Unfortunately due to circumstances surrounded the war, a necessary precaution was to seal all the Vaults of those affected most by the Dark Lord's reign so that he could not steal what was yours. In sealing the vault we were unable to unseal your vault until you returned today. I apologize to continue to lower the hammer, but your marriage must take place before your eighteenth birthday."

Harry sat, stunned, his mouth hanging open. "To whom am I betrothed?" he croaked.

"A Ms. Daphne Greengrass." Harry nearly collapsed. His world was literally spinning as he gripped the armrests of the chair with white knuckles.

"Surely if this was so _cunning_ , as you put it, there is a way out."

"I am afraid not Master Potter. You see, Daphne was also betrothed to a known Death Eater but days before her seventeenth birthday her betrothed was killed. Therefore her magic also recognized her as single when she turned seventeen and this betrothal became active. There are still clauses to which you can negotiate. For instance you can negotiate which methods you intend to use to force her fidelity, or how many heir she ought to produce, what duties she must perform, what occupations she is allowed to have."

"Stop. Full stop. I, Harry James _Potter,_ " he spat his last name with new contempt, "Will strong arm _no_ woman into a relationship this one sided!"

"Master Potter, you have no choice in the matter of the betrothal, but again these clauses are negotiable. A meeting will be scheduled for a week from today for you, Daphne, and any legal parties you wish to retain to negotiate the details. I advise you to come prepared, Mr. Potter." With that the Goblin stood to leave and Harry knew the meeting was finished. He, however, was unable to stand due to the vomit he was now projecting onto the floor in front of him.

Ginny's face had no sooner withdrawn from his fireplace when a small, young, snow owl passed through the window. "Well hello there, Fluchtod, I do apologize for your Master's apparent horrid naming conventions. What do you have for me." Fluchtod simply rolled his large yellow eyes, puffed out his chest and stuck out leg.

 _The Boy-Who-Lived-Twice, who is closer to death than ever and needs Bill Weasley's direct intervention, lives on the top of a moderately sized hill._

Bill just chuckled as the Fidelius charm was activated and he could see the location in his head. His chuckles were cut short as he reread the beginning. Grabbing his wand, and cloak as he knew he was heading north, he immediately apparated away. Running, wand drawn, he busted down the door to see Harry pacing quickly in front of the stone fireplace.

"Bill! Thank Merlin you are here. I am in so much trouble and I didn't know who to turn to. No calming draught in the world is going to stop your Mother from killing me with her bare hands and that is if Ginny has left me alive when she is through with me." He paled considerably more, if that was even possible, "Merlin...Fred and George are going to kill me. _Creatively_. Bill you have to help!"

"Harry!," Bill boomed, silencing Harry. He shoved Harry into a recliner, his wand still drawn. "What did you do to my little sister, answer quickly or so help me I will curse you so that you mummify so quickly that all of us Weasleys will have a chance to kill you, wake you up, and kill you again." Harry raised his hands, shaking intensely, in surrender before handing Bill the contract.

Bill read it through twice before he slumped into the chair across from Harry, "Bloody hell, Harry. She is over the moon in love with you. You are going to absolutely break her heart."

"Is there any way out? Anything I can do to nullify the contract?"

Bill ran his hand over his hair, down the length of the ponytail several times as he read through for a third time. He sighed and looked into Harry's eyes. "Harry there is nothing you can do. However, the contract only requires her fidelity. You, however, are clearly free to continue seeing Ginny. You will not be able to marry, but you can still be with her, love her. You could even still have children with her."

Harry growled. Suddenly an idea popped into his head and he knew what must be done. He rose quickly and ran up the steps to the four bedrooms upstairs. Bill followed quickly in his wake, admiring the beautiful stone and woodwork in Harry's cottage. This, however, was not a time to dwell on the beauty of the grey stones and dark wood that adorned the house. Harry sliced his hand and placed it against the stone wall and hissed. Immediately the stones began to move apart and Harry reached in and gathered his cloak and second wand.

"Damn, Harry. Is that a parseltongue ward you have set up? I'm not even sure I could break something like that."

"Bill, this is not the time. But yes, it is also the reason Kingsley is so adamant about me joining the Aurors soon. His ward constructors were wiped out during the war. You know as well as I do what that means for places like Hogwarts, Diagon Alley, the Ministry of Magic, Hogsmeade, any magical village really…"

"Harry, I don't mean to sound crass but you were bang average at Hogwarts…" Harry nodded at the implied slight against his abilities.

"I did a lot of reading while hunting down the Horcruxes, I never had the power to construct these wards but it seems like the minute I survived the second killing curse, I was filled with more power than I had ever realized. These wards were almost easy to set up after that."

Bill's jaw dropped. No ward this complex should be easy to cast. It would take him a few days just to anchor the ward stones in place before finalizing the construction of the ward. "But I don't have time to explain, I have a stone to find and parents to confront." With that, an almost silent _pop_ was the last Bill saw of Harry that day.

Harry was not seen by anyone for two days. He spent his days searching through the Forbidden Forest, hiding from the creatures within. On the second day he finally struck gold and reached down and picked up the Resurrection Stone. Having nearly an entire day to build up his rage he turned the stone three times before several apparitions appeared around him. Whatever control his Ginny had witnessed was gone now.

His aura was causing the leaves on the ground to rustle and swirl around him as he came face to face with his parents. "Harry," his dad tried hesitantly, raising his hands in a placating gesture.

"Don't you 'Harry' me, _father_ " Harry spat, "What the _hell_ have you done to me?! Do you have any idea what you have done to me? I was willing to die for the life I had gained in the Wizarding World just to join my 'loving' parents. I finally succeeded in being free and for once, things seem to be going my way. But no! Somehow my parents have teamed up with fate beyond the grave to cause my life to come crashing down."

"Harry James Potter!" his mother screeched, "Don't you _dare_ speak about that which you do not understand. Don't you _dare_ speak such hurtful words to the woman who died for you." She choked up and had to pause shaking her head. "You foolish boy! Here we thought you were finally maturing and coming into your own only to have you react like this? To your parents who, no less, gave their lives so _you_ might live."

"Not a day goes by, mind you we live in eternity, that we don't think about what we could have done differently. Not a day has gone by since this crusty old geezer joined us that we don't roast his shriveled saggy a-"

"Lily!" James interrupted.

"Sorry," she responded meekly but continued. "Not a day goes by that we don't...have words with Albus for putting you with Petunia." She scoffs, "Greater good my a-"

"Lils! Get it together! What your mother is trying to say, Harry, is stuff it for long enough to hear our explanation. Then continue on your hormone-induced, prepubescent, rage that you seem hell-bent on unleashing on us."

"Clearly he got his Mother's rage," Sirius smirked from the side. It was a strange seen, Remus and Tonks lovingly held each other. Sirius was smirking at the chaos, typical. Dumbledore stood blushing, which was hard to tell even though they were nearly real and in color, their forms were still hazy. Lily was panting, her eyes glinting with rage. James looked like his patience was wearing thin but he stood tall and looked down upon Harry with piercing eyes.

"Now listen up, _son_ , you will treat us with the respect we are due. I will not tolerate your outbursts, I expect better of a Potter. You have made strides in maturing ever since Voldemort's soul was removed from your head. I am sure you have noticed the increase in power and control as I daresay his soul was doing its best to restrict your abilities."

"What you clearly fail to understand, something I would have expected the Great Shrivelled Prune would have told you is just how dire the circumstances were. There were very nearly no families left to fight the Dark Lord. There is a reason people are still afraid to speak his name and it is not some silly fear as you so ignorantly put it. The name of Voldemort had single handedly wiped out a good portion of our world. His tyranny knew no bounds and death was lurking at every corner."

"Your mother and I knew our time was coming to an end. There was no doubt about that. Us and the Longbottom's were among the last of the resistance left as, one by one, they were all killed. Your mother invested her time in studying blood wards against Dumbledork's wishes. All that 'Greater good' super awesome light crap that he spewed was nonsense. The fact that he and yourself, Harry, thought your mother saved you with only love is pure and unadulterated manure, full stop."

"I am standing _right_ here, James," Dumbledore sighed.

"I am well aware, and you are here because, although you manipulated my son, you did try your best in the end and he clearly has enough love and respect to seek your wisdom on his betrothal to Daphne. Your mother, Harry, loved you so much that she sacrificed her magic for you. Before she died, she carved runes into her flesh that removed her magic, and was imbued in you. Do you seriously think that a killing curse would leave such a convenient shape on your forehead?"

"Your mother gave up her magic so that she couldn't even defend herself if she tried so that when, not if, Voldemort attacked you would not die. Had Voldemort not attacked, your Mother would have lived out her days a squib but died within months. No magical being can live without their magic for long. Her magic was the shield which saved you Harry. So please, spare me the theatrics and let us continue to the betrothal and _my_ part in setting it up."

"Your mother guaranteed your survival from the Dark Lord but she could not guarantee your survival during his reign which we thought was a certainty. My good friend Daniel Greengrass was a fellow Auror but he was neutral had a daughter in March of 1981, as you know this was about half a year before we died. He knew his daughter was going to be betrothed to some Pureblood moron and so we got together to work it out."

"We both agreed we wanted you to marry for love so we wrote the contract to start when you turned seventeen, _if_ you were single. Apparently you did not inherit the Potter charm as I thought this would be a certainty. Secondly, having a contract with the Greengrasses aligned you with a neutral house that was disguised as supporters of the Dark Lord. Hopefully ensuring your survival in the 'new world order'. Next, there was no way Daniel could avoid a contract with one of the Dark Lord's true followers so we wrote it such that it would supercede any Betrothal contract should the first contract be nullified. Daniel, unfortunately was killed soon after the contract was signed."

"We didn't know at the time, of course, but Peter had already turned and was the neutral party in the matter. Daniel was killed for signing an agreement with us. Luckily his wife and daughter were spared. Lastly, because of the time that the contract was written, we had to make it barbaric to sell its legitimacy. I promise you, Harry, there is no getting out of this, but you can make the contract more honourable. We left that up to you."

Silence filled the air as Harry sank to the ground in tears. His father and mother approached him and knelt down in front of him. He looked into the beautiful green eyes of his mother and the look she gave him was devastating. "Harry, you must grant me one wish as your mother." How could he deny her? He nodded silently.

"You must not keep Ginny as a lover. Sadly, she would have made a wonderful wife to you and blessed you with many beautiful children. She would, no doubt, agree to any terms you came up with but you would take her freedom to marry and live a life of her own. You can not ask her, or Daphne for that matter, to be faithful to you when you fully intend to not be yourself. Loathe as I am to admit it, Daphne will be a good match for you but you must be patient. The grotesque manner in which her betrothed controlled her has left her damaged, bitter, and resentful."

"Promise me, Harry, you will do what is right for the two women. Set Ginny free, and do your best to love Daphne. I promise you Harry that love is so much more than just a feeling. You must _choose_ to love Daphne through your actions towards her. The feelings of love will follow. Should you be patient enough, she will learn to love you back. It is time for you to be a man, Harry, and how you handle this situation will be a big step for you. Make sure you take that step in the right direction."

With wishes of love and luck, his family left him alone on the forest floor. Night was falling and Harry had plenty of thinking to do.


End file.
